Nuggets' roster logjam, six years in the making, finally reaches its breaking point

In late Feb. 2011, the Denver Nuggets traded their two best players, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, to the New York Knicks in exchange for centerpieces Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov, as well as a handful of first and second-round draft picks. The 13-player, three-team trade went down as one of the most expansive and expensive in NBA history and was an early catalyst in spurring a league-wide trend that saw disgruntled superstars demand relocation from small-market franchises to the coastal metropolises of New York and Los Angeles.

Six years later a familiar story is unfolding between the Nuggets and Knicks, only this time the roles have been reversed: It’s the Knicks who now wish to unload their “superstar” and the Nuggets, armed with a stockpile of young talent and draft picks, looking to capitalize on the “disgruntled superstar” archetype.

Oh how times have changed, and yet how they have so ironically remained the same.

Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on how you look at it — Nuggets management may have arrived at a red-or-blue-pill moment not entirely on their own behalf. In just the last few weeks reports have surfaced claiming Jusuf Nurkic is almost certain to be dealt by the trade deadline due to displeasure with his current role and in the last 24 hours, similar reports have emerged with regards to the usually sanguine Wilson Chandler, the longest tenured Nugget on the roster alongside Gallinari.

The opportunity for a major roster overhaul has come and passed many times over since the Knicks trade six years ago, a deal that afforded the Nuggets tremendous depth which has never quite been ironed out. The NBA more than any other major professional sport is based entirely on a caste system: generals precede lieutenants who precede majors who precede colonels and on down the line. LeBron James is flanked by Kyrie Irving who’s flanked by Kevin Love who’s flanked by Tristan Thompson and, well, you get the point.

Despite this understanding, the Nuggets have made one lateral move after the other, shipping a player here or there in exchange for someone, or draft picks, of equal value. Granted, the vast majority of these deals have worked in Tim Connelly’s favor and many were more than necessary to rebuild the chasm left in Masai Ujiri’s absence. But the fact remains: Connelly has made the same type of trade throughout his entire three-and-a-half-year career in Denver (never more than a single regular contributor was shipped out at a time) when what the Nuggets needed most was a virtual exodus to upgrade just a single position on the floor.

Though all actions have consequences, so do inactions. For Connelly and his team, the inability to boldly commit a massive and much-needed roster shuffle is an inaction that’s resulted in an overcrowded unit with a faction of malcontents who would rather be elsewhere and a coach left to play psychologist-mediator rather than captain of a basketball team. The chickens, as they say, have finally come home to roost.

The goods news for Connelly is that after years of conservatism he has no other choice but to turn radical. The Nuggets are more overcrowded than ever, more confused than ever and most importantly, more displeased than ever. What was collateral damage from the infamous Knicks trade six years ago is now finally manifesting in the form of mass dissatisfaction, and without proper intervention a revolt is sure to follow.

So how does Connelly go about remedying this predicament before it fully metastasizes? Simple: Be bold. Swing for the fences. Take a chance. Make a risky judgment call and trust your gut. Connelly has proven his worth as a GM and he is without question one of the better talent evaluators in the league. He has more than earned the right to wager whatever number of assets the Nuggets possess in an attempt to diversify and enliven a fairly monochromatic roster.

Start with Jusuf Nurkic. He has to go. Even better — he wants to go. It doesn’t matter his value at this point because it’s not getting any better with a team he doesn’t want to play for anymore. At just 22-years-old, he still has his entire career ahead of him and will undoubtedly mature and improve. Many teams around the league should be salivating at a chance to give this kid proper tutelage and a steady helping of minutes each night.

Next, do away with Emmanuel Mudiay, whom the Nuggets are reportedly seeking appraisal for on the open market, and rightfully so. Mudiay turns 21 next month and though still an infant by NBA standards he’s also been one of the worst players in the entire league since his debut. He can’t shoot, can’t defend, can’t create for others, has a sloppy handle and doesn’t understand how to play point guard at the NBA level. Could all these red flags magically disappear out of the blue after he plays 200 games in the NBA as opposed to 100? Theoretically. But why take the chance on watching another point guard’s value diminish (see: Ty Lawson) when you already have a savvy veteran in Jameer Nelson and a promising rookie in Jamal Murray?

Finally, cut ties with either Chandler or Gallinari for good. Choose one and do everything you can to keep the other satisfied. If Chandler wants more time, jettison Gallinari who’s in the final year of his contract and might jump ship this summer anyhow. If Chandler wants out no matter what, so be it. Package him with Nurkic, Mudiay or perhaps Faried and do everything you can to retain Gallinari come free agency. But whatever the case, pick a lane and floor it: Gallinari or Chandler. Let the connection at the hip end once and for all.

Between Nurkic, Mudiay, Chandler, Faried, depth at shooting guard and future draft picks, the Nuggets have perhaps the most superfluous roster in the entire NBA and one that is now boiling with indignation. The time for a trade is now. Connelly waited until he could not wait any longer and now he has no choice but to execute the long-awaited roster consolidation that was created when the Nuggets sent their two best players to New York in exchange for four of a somewhat, at the time at least, similar ilk. Perhaps now, after six wigwagging years, it will take yet another blockbuster trade for the Nuggets to come full circle, cut ties with the last strand of the Knicks trade and address their original sin of paying the price for winning with a superstar in a small market.